A distinctive part of the game of baseball is the uniform worn by the participants. A very distinctive part of that uniform includes a visored cap, which has a very familiar design. Such caps generally consist of a crown portion sized to accommodate the head of the wearer and a stiff brim in the form of a visor that can shade the eyes. The crown portion of the cap is generally constructed in one of two manners.
The first, and more common, manner of constructing a baseball cap is to stitch together from about four to about six basically triangular shaped sections so that the apex of each triangle meets in the center of the crown. These triangles are slightly tapered so that the completed assembly forms a concave crown. Typically, the apex of the crown portion of such a cap has a cloth-covered button attached thereto. The various triangular shaped sections can be of one single color or a plurality of colors, and the cloth covering the apex button may be a matching or contrasting color.
A second manner of constructing the crown of a baseball cap is to have a "pillbox" shape, that is, the crown portion is comprised of a rounded and generally vertical plane of material topped by a generally circular shaped piece of material, this generally circular piece of material being positioned on the generally vertical piece of material in a substantially perpendicular manner. This latter form of crown for a baseball cap was popular in the late 1800's and has enjoyed some renewed popularity in recent years with some baseball clubs, for example, with the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club.
Regardless of the variation in the crown structure, the visor portion of the cap is generally a stiff brim, covered with a cloth material, that is positioned forwardly on the cap as the cap is worn upon the head. The periphery of the crown portion of the cap generally has a headband-type liner to it. It is this portion of the cap that is in the most intimate contact with the wearer and it is this portion of the cap and the visor that are most likely to absorb moisture from the wearer's perspiration as the cap is worn.
Although the visor of the cap is generally stiff, due to the material such as cardboard which is used to underly the cloth covering, the visor may be deformed by the wearer. A radical deformation of the visor could result in a permanent distortion of the cap shape.
Baseball caps are generally fabricated from cloth material and the quality of the cloth clearly increases as the quality of the hat increases, so that at the advanced levels of the game, particularly the major leagues, the caps are rather expensive. At all levels of the game, the players are expected to maintain their cap during the entire season. This will entail a large number of games played in some amount of precipitation, exposure to dust and dirt, and handling by hands soiled with pine tar, rosin, and, perhaps, even some of the variety of substances allegedly used by some pitchers to obtain the infamous effects of the pitch known as the "spitball." It is also noted that certain baseball players are known for practical jokes such as pouring cups of liquid over the heads of their colleagues.
The interior of the crown portion of the cap is generally devoid of stiffening or reinforcing material, although such reinforcing material is occasionally used on the crown portion of the cap adjacent to the visor portion, where a team logo or other design is embroidered or otherwise secured to the crown portion of the cap.
Just as the fabric of construction for the caps will vary with the cost of the cap, so too does the size variability on the caps. Specifically, the less expensive baseball caps, many of which are comprised of a relatively open mesh synthetic material, have an adjustable band means disposed around the periphery of the crown and fastening to itself at the rear of the crown portion of the hat so that one size can be adjusted to fit essentially all users. In the more expensive caps, the cap is formed to a particular cap size and, although there may be a slight amount of elastic material to secure the cap on the head of the wearer, there is very little adjustability of the cap size.
At least one U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,247 to Hooser, describes a form retaining support that is designed to be removably positioned within a baseball cap that has been recently laundered. This support is intended to maintain the desired cap shape while the particular cap dries. Although this type of cap shape support appears to be useful after the cap has been laundered or dry cleaned, it does not appear to have the required rigidity to permit such a cap to be stored with other baseball equipment, that is, gloves, shoes, uniform and the like in an equipment bag. Nor does the cap shape support of Hooser provide any support for the visor of the cap. Also, the invention of Hooser does not provide any protection of the cap from accidental spills, dirt, etc., since the support shape is fitted entirely inside the cap.